different between spotting vs watchfulness

English

Verb

spotting

1. present participle of spot

Noun

spotting (plural spottings)

1. A spotted pattern.
   • 1954, Thomas H. Everett, The American Gardener's Book of Bulbs (page 161)

     Symptoms consist of various foliage spottings and blotchings.

2. The act of spotting or sighting something.
   • 2009, Marine Corps (US), Close Air Support and the Battle for Khe Sanh (page 100)

     Although the NVA went to great lengths to conceal the locations of their artillery, they had to expose them at the time of firing. Less reliable than visual spottings were electronic intercepts […]

Derived terms

• aircraft spotting
• bus spotting
• trainspotting

Anagrams

• pottings

English

Etymology

watchful +? -ness

Noun

watchfulness (countable and uncountable, plural watchfulnesses)

1. The state or quality of being watchful; alertness, vigilance or wakefulness.

   Continuous watchfulness is maintained around the clock.

   • 1665, Robert Hooke, Micrographia, Preface,^[1]

     The first thing to be undertaken in this weighty work, is a watchfulness over the failings and an inlargement of the dominion, of the Senses.

   • 1784, Samuel Johnson, letter addressed to Mr. Langton dated 25 August, 1784, cited in James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson, London: Charles Dilly, 1791, Volume 2, p. 545,^[2]

     Nights of watchfulness produce torpid days […]

   • 1896, H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau, New York: Stone & Kimball, Chapter 9, p. 82,^[3]

     Every dark form in the dimness had its ominous quality, its peculiar suggestion of alert watchfulness.

   • 1944, Neville Shute, Pastoral, London: Heinemann, Chapter 4,

     The steady rhythm of the engines, the fact that he had been sleeping badly, the boredom of a flight that he had done so many times before and did not want to do again, the long humiliation and unhappiness that was always in the background of his mind, all fought against his watchfulness.

Related terms

• watchful

Translations